One of our absolute favorite weekend destinations is the MidCoast of Maine. We camp to escape our daily Monday – Friday routines and to experience our state while enjoying the MidCoast “Where the Mainland meets the Ocean”. We’ll head out right after work on a Friday, drive an hour or so north from the Portland, Maine area and be sitting around our campfire sipping an adult beverage that same evening. A little planning and preparation in advance of your camping trip will help things run smoother, not rushing around last minute so that you too can be “Happier than a Clam at High Tide”. And yes don’t worry you’ll be able to get some fresh fried clams as an appetizer to your lobster roll if that’s your thing.
Here are our tips to maximize your time:
- Organize – Have a place for everything – Use a Camp Box – Use labels – Be packed and ready to go
- Gear – Keep it simple – Bring only what you need – Take Care of it
- Meals – Plan – Use Shortcuts – Use a 5 Day Cooler – Grab and Go
- Get there early – Parking lots at Maine Beaches can fill up quickly – You don’t want to be turned away
Organization is the key to being a successful weekend warrior. Let’s face it; work weeks are long and by comparison weekends pass by so quickly, so it helps to develop habits to make the most of every summer weekend. From packing our Subaru Forester on Thursday evening, to filling the cooler on Friday morning with only items that have been prechilled, we are already one foot out the door before Friday @ 5:00 PM rolls around.
We have a place for everything and keep everything in its place. When we first started out camping, we used plastic bins for kitchen storage. While this worked it was ideally not what we had in mind. What we longed for (and thought we wanted) was a traditional camping chuck box. To that end we created our own prototype custom camping chuck box and considered building it, but changed course when we determined it would be too heavy when constructed with wood. The last thing we wanted was a storage solution that weighed more than what we were carrying.
Then we found the Sherpa Camp Table & Organizer by Camp Chef. It’s everything we need and has exceeded our expectations after one season of use (12 separate camping trips in 2020!). The Sherpa is lightweight at 13 pounds empty and has comfortable padded handles. We prefer to place it in the vehicle first and then load the 4 separate zippered 600 Denier ripstop fabric bags into the compartments. These empty bags measure 12” x 11” x 6 ½ “and you’d be surprised with how much they can hold. We keep the roll top table in place and use the fixed rear storage compartment for other items. We even use the area under the tabletop for storage.
It is a very versatile piece of gear. We like to place it on a picnic table without extending the legs because it’s at our preferred working height. With legs extended, it makes a great extra side table. The 600 Denier Cordura style fabric material is very durable and cleans up nicely with soap and water. The heavy-duty zippers are of excellent quality. We created our own labels using cards for the bag inserts to identify the contents of each bag.
For our meals we keep it very simple. We prefer not to spend all our time cooking and cleaning up after meals on beach weekends. So, here’s what works for us. We bring a prepared dish such as a casserole, soup, or stew that we will reheat for our Friday night dinner after setting up camp. Often these are just homemade leftovers that we pull out of our freezer to take along. For Saturday and Sunday lunches we bring bagged salad kits such as what you can find at Trader Joes. We add packaged turkey breast, sliced cheeses and supplement with grab and go pre-portioned snacks. After a day at the beach, Saturday night dinner is usually a trip to the local lobster pound/fishermans co-op. Of course, we bring refillable water bottles and a cooler full of beverages and generally speaking a traditional fisherman’s co-op will allow you to bring your own side dishes to save a few bucks, but of course you can always get a complete seafood dinner with corn-on-the cob and cole slaw, etc. Gets me hungry just thinking about it!
When we arrive home after a relaxing weekend we unpack, clean everything, reorganize, and prepare everything for the next weekend. By starting our weekend straight away after work on Friday, by Sunday we’re generally recharged and “Happier than a Clam at High Tide!”
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Camp Chef Sherpa Camp Table & Organizer
Gas ONE GS-3900P New Dual Fuel Propane or Butane Portable Stove
Thermos 34 Ounce Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Coffee Press
